Float Like a Butterfly, Scream Like a Banshee
by Emmazing15
Summary: All the times Alice Fortescue saved Fank Longbottom and the one time she didn't.


_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. Love it though.**_

 _ **Warning: Sad and feelsy. Proceed with caution?**_

* * *

She was a small girl, Alice, the niece of the "ice cream man" from Diagon Alley. In most of her years as a child, that's how she was known to her peers. She wasn't known for her long hair, or her affinity for butterfly clips, or the fact that Professor Sprout praised her every day for how well she knew her flora in Herbology. She was shy, and for a while in her first year she didn't have many friends. The other girls in her dormitory had already flocked together before Alice had worked up the courage to say hello.

Then, one day, the redhead from her dormitory approached _her._ "Excuse me," she said, standing at the edge of Alice's bed, "You're really good at Herbology, right?"

Alice nodded silently. The redhead smiled encouragingly, as if she knew this made Alice very nervous.

"Can I ask you a question?" she continued. Alice nodded again, and the redhead asked her all about Bouncing Bulbs and why they needed a spell to stun them. Alice told her it was because they were easily threatened, especially when small, and the entire time the redhead (Alice wished she could remember her name!) took careful notes on the book she had open in her arms.

When they were finished, and the other girls in their dormitory were watching with interest, she smiled happily at Alice. "Thank you," she said and held out her hand, "I'm sorry I've never said anything, but I'm Lily."

Alice gave her a watery smile in return and shook Lily's hand. "I'm Alice."

Through Lily, Alice made friends with the other two girls she hung around with. One of them she had already heard of, if only in passing; Marlene McKinnon, a pretty blonde from a Pureblood family like Alice's. The other was Mary McDonald, who later Alice learned was a muggleborn like Lily, after a couple Slytherin boys picked on them. Also through these new friends of hers, Alice was first introduced to Frank Longbottom.

* * *

Marlene knew him because the Longbottoms were also pureblooded and tended to hang out with families that were like them. Frank was a year older than them, and friends with Marlene's brother. They ran into each other in a fourth floor corridor, while Marlene and Alice were going to the library. Malcolm McKinnon and Frank were coming out.

"Hey, Marls!" the blonde one chirped and Marlene waved enthusiastically, "Who's your friend?"

Marlene put her arm around Alice's shoulders, and her heart fluttered. No one had ever been so friendly with her before. "This is Alice. Alice Fortescue," she said. That's how Marlene introduced herself. Marlene, Marlene McKinnon. "Alice, this is my brother Malcolm. And his friend, Frank."

"Fortescue like the ice cream man?" asked Frank with wide eyes.

Alice started to nod but Marlene scoffed. "Who cares?"

As Marlene playfully argued with the boys, Alice heard a faint squeaking noise. She frowned and looked around for the culprit, and her eyes widened when they landed on the chandelier over them. Peeves the Poltergeist was there (Alice's father had warned her about him!) and he looked positively giddy while he unscrewed it from the ceiling.

It was going to come down at any moment.

"Look out!" Alice cried and surged forward to push the boys out of the way, dragging Marlene with her. In the next instant, the chandelier came crashing down, making some nearby students scream with fright. Marlene and the boys looked stunned.

"How did you know that would happen?" Frank Longbottom wondered. His eyes were wide and very, very blue.

Alice swallowed. "I heard the bolt coming loose…"

"We could have gotten squashed if it weren't for you!" declared Marlene. Then she threw her arms around Alice and hugged her tight, and the latter felt a little flare of fondness in her chest.

* * *

Frank and Alice didn't have a lot of contact in their younger years. They knew of each other, of course; they were in the same House, had some mutual friends. As they got older, they started to get involved in school clubs. All of Alice's friends were drawn to Dueling Club, so that's where she ended up as well. Really, in hindsight, it turned out to be a good decision.

The members of dueling club were sorted by House and year, as it would have been unfair if a seventh year were allowed to duel a second year. Each House had a champion that was always a sixth or seventh year. Gryffindor's was Amelia Bones, a sixth year who was absolutely ruthless, especially with Slytherins. Alice knew she didn't stand a chance for the position, even after Amelia graduated.

Alice stood beside Marlene with Lily on the far side (Mary had Quidditch practice) and watched the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff champions duel. It was only the first meeting, and they were only fourth years, so it was unlikely they would get to fight at all.

Sometime during their watching, Frank sidled up beside them. "Evening, ladies," he chirped. Alice made herself shrink a little, as he was quite close to her. It wasn't exactly an uncomfortable feeling, but she was afraid of too much unwanted contact. It made her heart flutter.

"Hey," Marlene said in reply, but she was too engrossed in the duel to say much else.

Frank leaned in close to Alice to whisper, "My money's on the Hufflepuff,"

Alice lifted her head to give him a questioning expression. "Really?"

He turned his head away from the table as well, and suddenly they were nearly nose to nose. "Really. Jordan Turner –the Ravenclaw– a real twat, he is," he said, "I want to see him lose for once."

Alice was about to reply when Marlene jostled her shoulder. She looked over, and the other blonde nodded her head across the dueling platform. On the other side, looking absolutely devious, were three fourths of the most annoying, intimidating group of boys Alice had ever met. There was only one missing–

And he promptly appeared beside Lily.

"Are you going to fight me, Evans?" asked James Potter, who draped one of his arms over her shoulders as he spoke.

Both Lily and Marlene sneered, and Lily shoved him. "In your dreams, Potter. Merrythought would never let fourth years duel on the first day, anyway," she said.

"You would be a splat on the floor in no time," Marlene added.

James scoffed, and his head turned slightly so he saw Alice and Frank. His gaze skipped right over her, and Alice's cheeks burned. "Alright, Longbottom?" he said.

Frank nodded. "I would say so," he replied, and as he spoke Alice felt a hand gently caress her wrist. _It's okay._ A little smile bloomed on Alice's face.

Her gaze moved to Lily, because suddenly she had perked up after James's unwanted appearance. "I'll see you guys later," she said to the girls and Frank, ignored James completely, and then hurried away saying, "Sev!"

If Alice didn't know better, she would have thought she heard James Potter snarl under his breath. But then his face morphed quickly into a wicked grin and he once again addressed Frank. "I'll see you around, mate," he said and turned on his heel to rejoin his friends across the room.

Once he was gone, Marlene scoffed and leaned towards Alice. "What a weird bloke," she muttered and Alice nodded her agreement.

Frank had stopped touching her wrist.

Merrythought, the aging Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, had climbed on top of the platform once the first duel was over. To Frank's chagrin, the Ravenclaw Jordan Turner had won fair and square. "Now," she said, looking around at the crowd of gathered students, "Who would like to go next? Come on, don't be shy, it's fun!"

Hands went up all over the room, and Professor Merrythought chose someone randomly from the other side of the room. She turned to their side, looking through the hands, but Alice didn't raise hers. She instead watched the person chosen climb onto the platform.

Amycus Carrow. A seventh year Slytherin.

Frank's hand was in the air, and he was nearly jumping to get noticed. Merrythought was getting dangerously close to choosing someone near her. She quickly grabbed Frank's arm and yanked it down, pulling him from the running. He looked over sharply, surprised. "Don't," she whispered with a little shake of her head. Frank was a fifth year; he could be in the running to fight a seventh year.

A Ravenclaw called Emmeline Vance ended up being chosen to duel Carrow. Frank looked put out at first, but soon got over that. Because Amycus Carrow didn't play by the rules.

He ended up in detention for so long it started to spread that he had been expelled. Emmeline Vance was in the hospital wing for a long time.

* * *

Fifth and sixth year was when everything started to change. Lily was made a Prefect, but so was James Potter. They spent a lot of time together, and at first all Lily did was complain about it. Until she came back to their dormitory one day crying because Severus Snape had called her an unspeakable name, and she was done, _done_ , with his friendship.

"You should have cursed him," Mary told her as she held Lily in her arms. Marlene and Alice were sitting not too far away, also ready to comfort.

Lily shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "He'll get his…" she muttered, "He's to be a Death Eater."

That term gave Alice the chills. It had started to be thrown around at the beginning of the school year, and it was April now. Death Eaters were followers of… _him._ You-Know-Who.

"I'll still punch him right in the bullocks," Marlene said, and that earned a laugh from the girls.

Soon after that, there was a string of terrible things that made even the bravest of Gryffindors tremble. A Muggle suburb was trashed, and there were a number of casualties. Marlene spent several nights in the company of Sirius Black, and she and Lily didn't speak for weeks. The Carrow twins tortured a Muggleborn Auror publically and got away. Frank pulled a prank with James Potter and ended up in detention. Amelia Bones's parents were murdered by You-Know-Who himself.

One afternoon Alice's sixth year, she and Frank were lying in the grass near the banks of the lake, and they were mostly silent. This was Frank's last year at Hogwarts, and he was very stressed out with all his NEWTs. He was on the Auror tract, and she was too, but he actually had to take the exams this term.

"I got a letter from my parents," he told her softly, breaking the silence between them, "Death Eaters came to my house."

Alice shot up into a sitting position, looking horrified. "Merlin, Frank, you say that like your parents got a new dog. What happened?"

Frank groaned and threw an arm over his eyes, and in the same action grabbed her hand. He just held it, and Alice let him. "They wanted my parents to join. We're Purebloods, you know, they like that. Mum and dad said no of course, but they don't take to no very kindly… they said they had some time to think about it and left. You can imagine what would happen if they said no a second time," he explained.

She shook her head. "What are they going to do?"

"Relocate," he said, his eyes peeking out over his elbow, "I don't know where they are. They said telling me by owl is too dangerous, it could be intercepted."

Alice gulped. She could tell this was really eating at him, especially since he currently didn't really have a home. She had a feeling this was going to be just the beginning of the displacement feeling, specifically if the Death Eaters were trying to recruit all pureblooded families.

"If you need a place to stay when you graduate, you can come stay with me. Maybe Uncle Florean will take you in," she told him, smiling to try and lighten the mood.

Frank moved his arm, taking hers with it, and their hands ended up sitting on his chest intertwined. She blushed, but this time not in embarrassment. "The ice cream man?" he teased her.

"Don't be a git," she retorted.

He laughed gently and brought her hand to his lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles. "You're too good for me, Alice Fortescue."

Her cheeks flushed even more, and she had to look away to keep her heart from bursting from her chest. "Stop it. I'm only offering you a place to sleep," she muttered.

"Will you ever stop saving me?" Frank said, his tone teasing but his expression nothing short of awestruck.

* * *

Frank got all his NEWTs and went into Auror training while Alice did her seventh year. He sent her a number of letters, asked her questions about his training, which was she was surprisingly good at answering. She couldn't wait to be an Auror; the conflict with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters was now being called a war. And the ministry was losing.

Maybe she could make a difference.

While the world roiled outside the comforting walls of Hogwarts, the students didn't have a very bad year. Besides for a couple in Alice's own year, all of the Sacred 28 Death Eaters had graduated or left for full service. Marlene raved every week there was a conflict between the two sides -basically everyone versus the Slytherins- that they should all be kicked out. Why wasn't Dumbledore doing more? Why did he travel so much? If they were killing us, why weren't we killing them?

Alice and Mary heard all of this. Lily didn't live with them anymore because she was Head Girl now, and she had her own dormitory. She also was finally dating James Potter, even though she told them all for years she would never. Maybe it was because he was also Head Boy and they lived so close.

Near the end of their last term, Alice and her friends were summoned to Dumbledore's office. They went together, and they couldn't think of a reason between the four of them what this was about. Then they walked into the chamber, and there was a number of people already there. Four of them were the self-named Marauders (James got to his feet when Lily walked in), one was a gnarly character in the corner, a set of redheaded twins against one wall, others Alice didn't recognize. But the most important was Frank Longbottom.

He rose when he saw her and wrapped her up in his arms. Alice closed her eyes and nestled her face in his jumper. They hadn't seen each other in months.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked him once she had lifted her head.

Frank shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

Alice sat in the chair that he had vacated while he stood behind her. Dumbledore must have decided that everyone was here because he stood from his desk. Instantly the room hushed.

The headmaster told them about, and confirmed, what they were all fearing. This conflict with Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters had really escalated into a war, and it was too much for the ministry to handle. The Auror Office would not abandon their protocol and really stand up to Voldemort's forces, no matter how much Dumbledore or Moody (the 'gnarly character' in the room, who was Frank's superior at the ministry) implored them to do so.

So, Dumbledore wanted to act outside the law with an elite order of witches and wizards to stand against the Death Eaters. An order of light.

Sirius Black interrupted. "We need a better name than that." Beside him, Remus Lupin elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

Alice could barely wrap her hand around the idea. Elite?

"What do you suggest, Mr. Black?" Dumbledore said, calmly as if a student hadn't just spoken out of turn.

Sirius shrugged. There was silence, and Remus slowly put up his hand. Dumbledore nodded at him.

"Yes?"

"How about phoenix?" he said, nodding to the corner of the room. There, on a perch cleaning its feathers, one of those magical birds stood. Everyone knew about Dumbledore's affinity for it.

"Phoenixes do symbolize light and rebirth," Alice added, remembering that factoid from readings in Muggle Studies.

"An order of the phoenix?" questioned one of the twins standing on the wall.

"No," said Lily, her expression set, " _The_ Order of the Phoenix."

And so it was. Alice took all her NEWTs, and before the summer holiday was over she found she had received enough to apply to Auror training. They took her, of course, without even having to ask Frank or even Alastor Moody for a good word. Though she was sure they would have given in for her. She cut her hair, pixie length. She discovered that all that hair and being knocked around Auror training didn't go well together.

That summer when Alice started her new job, there wasn't a lot of contact from Dumbledore and the Order. The war still raged on, though, and it didn't take them long to figure out that the older ones were being sent out to fight in the meantime.

Frank told Alice all about them. Benjy Fenwick, Caradoc Dearborn, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, even Aurors like Dorcas Meadowes and Edgar Bones put themselves out there to fight Death Eaters straight on. But no matter how elite, and how full of hope the Order was, they couldn't stop everything. And after months of arguing, nearly begging to be put into the action, the unthinkable happened.

The Longbottoms were found by the Lestranges. They fought bravely, but Frank's father was killed at the hands of one of the brothers. His mother was sent to St. Mungo's when the Order found her.

Alice didn't leave his side while Frank tried to sort all of this out. Despite all his bravery and all his pride in his Auror badge, he cried into Alice's shoulder for almost a straight week. Neither of them went to work, and no one was about to force them too. Everyone stopped by with their words of comfort and condolences. But it seemed like the only person Frank wanted to see was Alice.

One day she was making tea at the stove and he was looking out the window, onto the front grounds of the Longbottom house. It was nothing like the sprawling properties and castle-like manors of other Pureblood families, but to him it was home. Alice was pouring two cups full of tea when Frank broke the silence.

"Al?" he said, the first word she has heard from him louder than a mumble in a while.

She paused. "Yeah?"

"What do you think it's like?" he asked, and before she could ask what he meant he plowed on, "What do you think it's like, to not be concerned with this war? To think it doesn't affect you?"

Swallowing, Alice put a lump of sugar in each cup. "I don't know, love," she replied, "Simpler, maybe."

"Ignorance is bliss," Frank said and pulled the curtains shut over the windows.

"You could say that." She crossed the room with both tea cups and held one towards him.

Frank looked at it a moment and then took it from her. He slid his eyes up to hers. "I love you," he said quietly.

"It's just tea," she said with a gentle laugh and took a sip of her own.

"No, Alice," he said, shaking his head, "I love you… no joke. I want you to marry me."

She coughed, tea dribbling down her chin. "What? We're not even twenty–"

"I don't care! My dad got a limited time with the woman he loved, and I want all the time I can get with mine. We might not survive this–"

"Frank!"

"–and I want this with you. Marry me. Please. Before I realize I've gone truly round the bend."

Alice just stared at him, and she could tell that there was no madness in those eyes. He was serious. They were in a war, and they were mortal. They could die any day. Then she nodded, and he lit up in a way that she hadn't seen since way before the death of his father. "I love you too," she whispered.

Frank and Alice got married that year, just the two of them and someone to officiate. They didn't have time for a real wedding and they didn't mind not having one. All they needed was a couple of rings and each other. So Alice Fortescue became Alice Longbottom and she wore a diamond ring on her wand hand.

Also in the same year, James and Lily were ambushed by Voldemort. Later, the Order was told that he was after Lily the most, because her prodigious reputation had succeeded her among the ranks of the Death Eaters and proved to be more important than her Muggleborn status. To appease her, Lily recounted, they even offered James a position. Unsurprisingly they refused and fled before anyone was hurt.

James and Lily got married not too long after that.

They did have a wedding, and although it would later be described as "quiet", it was a lot of fun. Marlene and Sirius were Maid of Honor and Best Man. There was cake and dancing and laughter, and for the first time since they all left Hogwarts they actually forgot about what was happening around them. They were young, and they were free, and not once was the war mentioned at that party.

* * *

Months later it snowed for the first time and Dumbledore sent the Longbottoms on a mission together. He had information about Death Eaters planning to comb the grounds near Hogwarts for a way into the castle. Of course that was impossible, but still, the Longbottoms went to Hogsmeade to protect the people there.

Alice stood guard at one end of the main street, twirling her wand in her hands. Frank was some ways away. There were several wards cast between them; anyone who Apparated in or out would notify the two Aurors. And the residents were under strict rules for the time being.

When she heard the crack of Apparition and the gasp of pain at the protective ward slinging around the culprit, Alice raced around the corner with her wand raised. A masked Death Eater struggled in mid-air, as if held by an invisible net.

Alice lowered her wand and approached, which was her first mistake. She was a rookie, they said. All she considered was that if she could remove the Death Eater's mask, she could give their name to Mr. Crouch and they would go to Azkaban. There would finally be an advance made in this war.

Before she could blink a curse came out of nowhere and connected with Alice's middle. It sent her careening into a shop window but thankfully not hard enough to break it. She fell onto her front, though, the wind knocked out of her.

Two other Death Eaters had appeared, their wand out and aimed at Alice. She stared them down, pushing herself onto her elbows while the the other one freed their compatriot.

"Longbottom, is it?" a female voice asked from behind one of the masks. Alice nodded and subtly reached for her wand. "Impressive defense. Not enough though, was it?"

Another one of the Death Eaters raised their wand, but Alice was quicker. She threw herself forward so she had her fingers just touching the handle of her wand. _"Reducto!"_

The white curse skidded across the snowy pavement and connected with the legs of the two in the front, sending them sprawling. The third snarled and Alice put up a shield just in time to push herself to her feet. She was already sweating.

She had never fought a Death Eater head on before. _Where was Frank?_

She could handle one, she knew that. Curse, shield, hex, shield. So far she was doing fine, except she was letting her opponent encroach on her, and that was bad form. As soon as the others came to she was done for, so she really needed a leg up, and quick.

When she saw an _Expulso_ make contact with the ground at the Death Eaters' feet, she thought Merlin might of conjured her husband himself, she was so relieved to see him.

Together, the Longbottoms could handle three Death Eaters. They were coming in on opposite sides, so whoever had the brunt of it just needed a stronger shield charm. Yeah, they could handle this.

When the three of them were pressed together, back to back, Frank and Alice made eye contact over their shoulders. He nodded once, and she knew what he meant. This was to be the kill shot (not actually the kill shot, Unforgivables would still land them in Azkaban). Frank raised his wand and before he could even think to say the spell, his expression became one of pure terror. And he screamed. _"Alice!"_

In their cornering neither of the Aurors had noticed one of the Death Eaters press his wand to the Dark Mark on his arm.

Alice spun. The road behind her was congested with black, almost _alive_ looking smoke. At her back, the female Death Eater started to laugh, low and hyper. And from the blackness a man emerged. But, not a man. That word seemed _wrong._

He wore black robes like the Death Eaters did, but where they were the knights he was the king. Hair fell over forehead, nearly to his nose, but still his eyes could be seen. Cool, dark eyes that flashed in the otherwise deathly calm countenance.

Lord Voldemort.

Every bone in Alice's body went rigid. He was looking at her, studying her. As if he knew her. She stared back, right in the face, while she heard Frank struggle behind her. One of the Death Eaters had gotten a hold on him.

The Dark Lord said nothing and merely reached out one of his hands towards Alice. She drew in a breath at her body's sudden reaction.

 _Come with me, Alice._

 _You belong with us, Alice._

 _These are your people, Alice._

 _Come with me!_

Her legs started to move without her making them. Everything about Voldemort called to her, everything in her mind told her to go. Her body had already made the decision.

"Alice, don't!" She heard Frank yelling and being suddenly cut off. Someone was… hurting him, her mind vaguely registered. She stopped walking. Voldemort's expression faltered.

No, this was Voldemort. This was… evil incarnate, he hurt innocent people, had her father-in-law _murdered._ She couldn't go with him!

"No, no, no," she whispered. Alice shook her head, fighting off the Legilimens invading her head, and she heard Voldemort hiss.

"Shut him up!"

The order was punctuated by a red curse soaring past her own head, after the Dark Lord had ducked to narrowly avoid it. Behind him, Alice could see, were other Order members. Her friends. Lily Potter had her wand raised.

When Alice got control of her limbs again she started to crumple. Someone caught her before she could fall, and when she looked up it was James.

"Hey, you'll be okay," he said, pushing Alice's hair off her forehead, "I know how that feels… just focus, you're okay."

Alice blinked up at him, and a little flash of fondness bloomed in her chest. A smile found her way to her face. Duels burst around them. "Thank you, James," she said and got her feet under her again.

He managed to smile in return and let her go once she stood again. Her foot kicked something, and she looked down to find her wand under her toes. She reached down and snatched it up, then smiled at James.

He winked in reply, but then his expression turned grave. "I think your husband needs your help," he pointed out.

"When doesn't he," Alice muttered, but then exchanged a nod with James before they ran off in opposite directions. She could hear Voldemort cackling –a high, chilling noise– but she knew the others could team up and take him on. Lily and James, she knew, could have it all under control on their own. However, there were other Death Eaters to deal with.

There were only two left when Alice rushed over to help Frank. One had Apparated out when the Order arrived.

He didn't have his wand anymore, so all he could do was use his body against them. One of his arms he held tightly against his torso, the wrist bent at a sickeningly unnatural angle. And his nose was bleeding profusely. However, Alice did witness him sock one of the Death Eaters right in the gut, which they obviously were not expecting.

Alice looked around. " _Accio wand!"_ she hissed, and then hopped in the air to catch Frank's wand as it soared towards her (and nearly over her head, considering she was so short).

Frank had heard her, and he raised his good hand over his head. Alice tossed him his wand, and the second he caught it both the Longbottoms leveled their wand tips on the two Death Eaters between them. _"Confringo!"_

The two fiery curses blended together in an attempt to take out the Death Eaters the best they could, but the Longbottoms didn't really know what they were going for. When the curses dispersed, both Death Eaters had vanished. Apparated out.

Alice loosed a breath, leaning on her knees in sudden exhaustion, and Frank was across the way panting. He looked at Alice, and then burst into hysterical giggles. She looked at him, confused.

Then he passed out.

"Frank!" she gasped and hurried over to pick his head off the pavement.

He didn't wake up as she cradled him in her lap. She didn't know what to do. Take him back to the Ministry? Take him home? He should go to the hospital.

Soon, the other Order members had joined them. Alice looked up. "What happened to Voldemort?"

"He left," Lily replied, "Either couldn't take us all or his mission was compromised."

Alice swallowed and nodded. Lily kneeled down beside her and checked Frank's pulse with her left hand. Her right side was all wet and scraped up, as if she had been slid across the pavement.

"He needs to go to St. Mungo's," Alice said.

"Too dangerous if they're tracking us," Remus interjected.

"We need to do something!" she exclaimed.

Sirius cleared his throat. "I know someone. We'll have to be fast though. And quiet."

They Apparated in teams with Sirius, and ended up in the country at a modest looking house. James and Remus carried Frank between them, and he kept blinking in and out of consciousness. Alice kept a close watch on him. Sirius knocked on the door.

The man who answered it went through a myriad of emotions very quickly. Surprise, confusion, comprehension. "Sirius," he said.

"Ted." Sirius skipped over any other explanations, to Alice's relief. "Is she here?'

The man, Ted apparently, nodded and stepped aside. Before anyone went in, Sirius turned to the Order. "Put wards over the house and guard the perimeter," he said, more of a plea than an order. Marlene grabbed Peter by the elbow and hauled him with her into the yard.

Once the first shield went up everyone went inside. Sirius followed Ted up the stairs to the second floor, and before they even made it a woman appeared. Dark hair, high cheekbones, she looked just like Sirius. And her expression was immediately concerned.

"Andromeda, we need your help. Please," Sirius told her in a sort of voice that Alice had never heard from him before. It was almost… reverent.

Then James and Remus hauled Frank up the stairs and into an empty bedroom. No one was allowed in, even Alice, while Andromeda Tonks did her best to undo the Death Eaters' damage. Ted left to make tea, but only Remus followed him. They rest camped outside the door Andromeda had all but barricaded (she did put a silencing charm on it though).

It was agony to Alice. Lily sat beside her, rubbing her arm in a comforting and constant motion as they sat on the floor. Alice had half a mind to undo the silencing charm herself, because even if Frank were screaming in pain, she could hear something. She would know that he was feeling _something,_ that Andromeda really did know what she was doing. Alice looked across the space of hallway at Sirius and James tossing a little Exploding Snap spark between them. She trusted them. But she was so very afraid.

At that moment Lily squeezed Alice's wrist, and something returned to her. She was put in Gryffindor for a reason. These people were the reason.

A door squeaked open and it wasn't the one Alice wanted. A little girl wandered out of the door at the end of the hall, a plushie clutched in one hand while she rubbed her eyes with the other. "Mummy?"

Sirius immediately got to his feet and James shoved the Exploding Snap spark up his own sleeve. "Hey, Dora," Sirius said gently, "Your mum's busy right now–"

The girl's eyes widened significantly and suddenly all traces of her being sleepy were gone. Now Alice knew the purpose of the silencing charm. "Sirius!" she cried and ran over and attached herself to Sirius's legs. Everyone in the hallway chuckled lightly. Even Alice smiled, unable to hold it back at the appearance of a child. She didn't know the last time she had seen anything so small and sweet.

"You're cramping my style, kid," Sirius whispered with a fond expression as he lifted her into his arms, successfully detaching her vice-like grip. She looked to be about five or six.

Ted and Remus came up the stairs then, a platter of tea cups following them from the kitchen. Little Dora started to wiggle and reached for her father when he appeared.

"I thought I heard someone who should be in bed," he said as Sirius handed her over. She put her head down and Remus handed out tea cups. It only made Alice feel slightly better, but that cute distraction sure did help.

Frank came out first when it was all over. Alice bolted up and took his face in her hands, as if she was inspecting if he was all still there. He simply smiled at her. He was unbloodied, had color back to his skin, and just looked a little tired. She smiled back at him and stood on her toes to kiss his mouth briefly. She sunk back down as Andromeda also walked out of the room.

Alice didn't know what the other woman did to Frank, but she was grateful for it nonetheless. "Thank you, Andromeda," she said.

She nodded in return with a little, understanding grin. Alice held her husband close and he leaned against her. She watched Andromeda cross the corridor to where Sirius was. She gently placed her hand beneath his chin and tilted his head up.

"Didn't I tell you to stop picking fights?" she told him, softly but firmly. It did look like Sirius had just been in a fight, because they had. Tiny, clotted scrapes peppered the bottom half of his face. Alice furrowed her brows. She had never heard someone talk to Sirius Black that way before and he didn't even flinch.

He just grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

The following couple years no one knew what the future would hold. The Order fought on, and the Aurors did too, as members of both organizations Alice and Frank saw nothing change. The Ministry did almost nothing but bury their Aurors in casework and Dumbledore went back to Hogwarts and told them nothing from the inside. The stalemate had some people, including Alice, losing sight of the point in all this.

Then, she got pregnant.

There was a boom recently in this sort of thing. Alice and Frank got married, so did James and Lily, the Prewett twins kept getting more and more nephews, Dorcas and Caradoc got engaged. For these years it was easy to shove fears of the future and the war onto the back burner. And many people did, or in Frank and Alice's case, they had to.

When she told him about the pregnancy, she sat there and cried. Alice had a strange mix of emotions in her, because she was excited to have a family with her husband but also terrified for the world this baby could be born into. What kind of mother wants her child to live in war-torn Britain?

"Alice, stop," Frank told her gently, taking her shoulders and squeezing, "Why shouldn't we have a baby? We're entitled to have a family, to have a _life._ Not even the great Albus Dumbledore can deprive us of that."

Alice noticed that he said Dumbledore instead of Voldemort, because it was true. Voldemort hadn't asked anything of them, Dumbledore had. No matter how good of a wizard or how much he cared about keeping the world at peace, Dumbledore had asked a bunch of _kids_ to join his magical battalion. They had the decision to say no but why would they? This was their world too. But now their lives could be taken from them at any moment.

"So we're doing this?" she asked Frank and wiped away the tears on her cheek with the heel of her hand.

He nodded and took care of her other cheek with his thumb. "We are doing this. And we are going to reap the benefits," he said and gave her a reassuring smile. Alice nodded and put his hand over hers. And that was that.

On the same day that Frank and Alice told their friends the news, Lily and James jumped up and said that they were also expecting a baby. A deep, dark place within Alice told her to be jealous that Lily took over her special news. But she of course shoved that away, because if Lily was happy for her, why shouldn't Alice be happy for Lily as well. She was sure they both had the same misgivings about bringing a child into the world they lived in.

And it turned out that their misgivings paled in comparison to the real risks.

One day, Dumbledore called the Longbottoms and the Potters into a meeting. Alice and Lily were both well into their first trimesters now, and there was no signs of slowing down. Alice went to work every day, but she noticed that there was a significant decline in actual missions she was sent out on. It seemed that the Auror Office didn't really know how to deal with pregnant women. There weren't a lot of women in the department to begin with, but that was a different issue.

So Alice had been figuring things out for herself when it came to working. Frank had told her that she needed to rest more often than she did before the pregnancy, and that was true, but he wasn't going to keep her from doing anything. There wasn't an argumentative bone in Frank Longbottom's body.

"So what's this about, professor?" Lily asked Dumbledore that day.

The old man pursed his lips. "Let me answer your question with a question. When are each of your children due?"

Lily and Alice exchanged a quick look and both replied, "31st July."

"I feared as much," Dumbledore said. Everything within Alice went cold at that simple statement, and she reached for Frank's hand and held it tightly in hers. The headmaster continued. "I've recently seen a candidate for the Divination position at Hogwarts. While in the interview, she predicted something. She told me that the 'one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies.'"

Alice wrapped an arm around her swollen middle protectively. James cleared his throat. "And this has something to do with us?" he asked. Lily gave him a sharp look; she had always been too intuitive to waste time on stupid questions.

"I have reason to believe that this could be either of your children," Dumbledore said, "I will not sugarcoat it. The prophecy also said that 'neither can live while the other survives'."

It took a moment for that to completely click with everyone in the room. The first one to react was Frank. "You've got to be bloody kidding."

"Are you saying Voldemort is going to try and kill my kid?" Lily cried sharply.

There was a little more arguing, a little more explaining. How can we trust this random woman who calls herself a Seer? How do we know she wasn't making it up? But Alice didn't participate. She hung back, her arms around her baby bump, her face becoming stoic. She couldn't think of a proper emotional response. Instead, she thought of all the things she could do to keep Lord Voldemort away from her baby. And all the things she _would_ do.

In the months leading up to Alice's due date, she spent more and more time at home. Her last mission with the Order was when she was five months pregnant, and she was on guard with James and Marlene at the Potter family home. It had become a pattern, Death Eaters attacking the houses of "blood traitors", basically Pureblooded families who directly defied Voldemort's cause. The Potter family was a huge target.

The fight ended up being worse than they ever thought. The three of them fought valiantly, to no avail. Three Death Eaters on three Order members would have been one thing, but this time Voldemort showed up as well. This distracted them enough for one of the Death Eaters to go in and kill both of James's parents in one fell swoop. This happened after Voldemort once again offered a position for James in their ranks and he said _over my dead fucking body_ to the Dark Lord's face _._

James and Marlene had done most of the offensive, considering Alice's condition. But, it was unavoidable, and once again Voldemort set his sights on her. On her, and her swollen belly. In response he had gotten a swift bombardment jinx to the gut. Only later did she realize this was the second time she directly defied him.

The third time was the worst. They were at home.

Voldemort visited their house alone and forced his way in. The Longbottoms understood now that they were on his hit list, and only a select few survived that list. Alice was eight months pregnant and was due in only a few weeks. This time, it was obvious he wasn't looking to recruit them anymore. Now he wanted to end them.

Frank took the brunt of it. "You need to go to headquarters," he told her as they were crowded into their kitchen. That was 12 Grimmauld Place, the house where Sirius had grown up and now offered to the Order. His parents had unexpectedly died, according to him, and his brother never showed up to claim it.

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded, "I'm going nowhere, and I'm not leaving you to _him!_ I may not be able to run, but I can wave a wand."

Frank pursed his lips. "Alright, we'll both go. We can't stay here anyway," he said.

Something exploded in another room. _He_ was right on top of them. "The fireplace is across the house," she whispered. They couldn't Apparate as that was was _way_ too dangerous for a pregnant woman.

"We'll make a break for it," Frank whispered back, "I'll carry you and run. You fight."

Alice nodded once. Teamwork. They had learned this in Auror training as well as from just being married for a year and a half. They waited for two agonizing beats in silence so they could hear where Voldemort was, and then Frank scooped her up and ran. It was like slow motion. Frank darted across the foyer to the living room and Voldemort leveled his wand at his back. Alice flicked hers over Frank's shoulder at the same time.

A blast of red light erupted from the tip. In the moment, she didn't think as the Unforgivable fell from her lips, and later when she did think about it she couldn't bring herself to regret it. This was her _family_ she was protecting. He deserved it. And Alice meant it.

Frank tossed floo powder into the fireplace and the fire roared green. They went in and transported to Order headquarters, leaving Voldemort to scream in fury and destroy their house completely.

* * *

Neville Longbottom was born on the 30th of July in the middle of the day, at an Order safehouse. The Longbottoms had went to a midwife from St. Mungo's for all of Alice's prenatal health, considering going publically to the hospital after being marked by Voldemort was out of the question. The midwife was lovely and did a good job of bundling Neville up while Alice laid in her bloody bed and let her mind catch up with her body.

Hours after Neville was born, Lily Potter went into labor. She and James named their son Harry. He was born on the exact day he was due.

The two families got only a limited amount of time to be happy before the war escalated dramatically.

The Minister was deposed after he failed to squash Voldemort's rebellion, and was replaced with a new one. A hard, determined woman, Minister Bagnold gave a lot of her power to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to try and capture Death Eaters. The head of that department, Frank and Alice's boss, was Barty Crouch. He was not known for being particularly kind either. Under the new minister, one of Crouch's first edicts was permission for Aurors to use Unforgivable Curses on their enemies. Alice never had to worry about using one on Voldemort that day.

Aurors were sent around the country to take out Voldemort supporters, and when Alice and Frank weren't hunting down leads, they were fighting with the Order. The immediate fight had grown bloodier.

And it started with Marlene's murder.

No one else was there when it happened, but the lot of the McKinnons were murdered all in one night. Too powerful, too many, blood traitors, the rumors circulated and spread about _why_ for weeks after it happened. But ultimately, it didn't matter. One of Alice's best friends was dead, and so was one of Frank's. They cried together one night, their baby asleep between them, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in.

Lily took it the hardest. Mary came back from France for the funeral, where she had been for years now keeping her Muggle family safe. Alice, Lily, and Mary all held hands and sat in the front row at Marlene's funeral. The Order had one specifically for her, and she was buried alongside her family. That's what she would have wanted. They hardly had time to grieve; every day the news of a new death, torture, and tragedy came to the ears of the Order.

And it didn't get better. Edgar Bones, his wife, and his children were all slaughtered similarly to the McKinnons. Dorcas Meadowes, the Longbottoms' superior from the Auror Office was confronted by Voldemort himself in her own house and murdered. Shortly after that the Prewett twins came back from a raid, bloody and pale, and told everyone the grisly story of what happened to Benjy Fenwick. Caradoc Dearborn never returned after he went home one night.

Some of the remaining Order members gathered in the dining room of Grimmauld Place that same night, puzzling out the sudden turn to their side losing dismally.

"There's a pattern," Lily explained, "The McKinnons, the Bones, and Dorcas were all killed in their homes. There is no possible way Voldemort could have just happened upon them; they were protected, there are spells to make them unplottable."

"And the only people who know the definitive locations are here in the Order," Remus added from beside her.

"So someone is giving away information." Alice looked up at Sirius's statement, and found him looking hard at Remus. The latter didn't seem to notice, but there was a certain sort of malice there that she had never seen between friends.

"Are you suggesting we have a mole?" Peter piped up from the corner. The poor bloke had his left arm in a sling; whatever had happened to him on the mission where Benjy was obliterated, he did _not_ want to talk about it.

Sirius's gaze only flickered for a second towards Peter before they settled back on Remus. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he replied.

That's when Remus looked over and met the steel of his friend's look. His jaw tightened. "What?"

"Where have you been lately, Remus?" Sirius asked him, tilting his head only slightly at the question.

"What are you talking about?" said the other quickly.

"Every month you disappear for longer and longer amounts of time," Sirius continued. Alice looked around, confused at the tone of voice being exchanged between the two men. James and Lily had gone ramrod straight. "Where do you go?"

Remus looked appalled and he looked around the room, at the curious glances from the people around. "You know where–"

"Do I?" Sirius interrupted sharply.

Remus gaped at him. No one said anything and the tension in the air was thick. "Are you–" Remus spoke slowly, tone dark with offense and anger, "–accusing _me_ of giving information to the Death Eaters?"

Sirius sat back in his chair, gesturing forward with his hands. "You said it, not me."

Remus's reaction was instantaneous. He got to his feet so violently he knocked his chair backwards into the wall and he growled, "How _dare_ you accuse me of such a thing!"

"You have no excuse to be a complete no show for so long!" Sirius shouted back, "You are the _only one_ who takes time off, Remus! Lily and Alice birthed children and they're still here! There is no proof it isn't you!"

"By that logic you might as well accuse your dead mother!" Remus snarled back. Sirius jumped to his feet, expression flashing, and Peter beside him recoiled. "Yeah, what about you, ' _Noble House of Black'?_ Almost your entire family are Death Eaters, you're basically a direct line to them. How do we know you're not worming your way in because you see we're losing?"

"Don't you _dare_ –"

But apparently Remus did. "And maybe your rebel phase is finally ending because it doesn't benefit you anymore!"

Sirius reached for his wand, seething, and James grabbed Remus by the arms. It seemed as though he was about ready to pounce across the table and attack Sirius in reply. Peter had jumped in between Sirius and the edge. "This is ridiculous," James said, and now that the shouting was over Alice could hear that the portrait of Sirius's mother had started to shriek about the defilement of her house. As a result the cries of the Potters' baby, formerly asleep upstairs, answered her. Lily looked a strange mix of frustrated and sullen and left the room to tend to Harry.

Sometime during the shouting, Dumbledore had appeared. Alice just noticed him as Lily left, and the former felt a little flood of relief. "I should say so," Dumbledore added, "Arguing amongst ourselves will only make the other side stronger. We don't know how the Death Eaters are getting their information, and that's the fact. The rest is speculation."

Remus looked red, but he also looked guilty and avoided looking in Dumbledore's direction. Sirius, however, did not resign. He shoved himself away from Peter and left the room punctuated by loud footsteps up the staircase.

The room was hushed after that. The tension sat on them like a wet blanket.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore spoke up, and James lifted his head, "Would you please come with me?"

James nodded once and rounded the table. The two left the room and also went upstairs. Alice pursed her lips and reached for Frank's hand. They each gave a squeeze.

After Dumbledore departed the Potters didn't reappear. Sirius eventually did and segregated himself along with Remus and Peter. Alice hoped there were some apologies happening. She had never witnessed those boys fight before. Frank went back to the Auror Office to do some work, accompanied by the Prewetts (no one goes anywhere alone after Caradoc) and Alice was to go collect Neville from his grandmother.

Lily and James were supposed to come along, but they still hadn't come out hours later. Alice decided after waiting for those hours that she would go see if she could find them. Upon reaching the second floor she came upon Lily walking out of one of the bedrooms.

"Hey," the redhead whispered, "I'm sorry, I know you want to go… you haven't got your baby with you."

Alice gave her a small smile. "No, he's with Frank's mother," she said.

"It's a good place for him," Lily said, and Alice knew she meant no malice in that statement. Safe with his grandmother and a myriad of guards from the Longbottom family was the best place for Neville.

Alice rubbed her arm. "Is everything alright?" she asked softly.

Now, Lily was never one to lie. She was always open to asking for help when she needed it, she was never afraid to say if she didn't know something, and she was very open when talking to her friends. So when she said, "Yes, everything's fine." Alice knew that it was the completely opposite.

The Potters went into hiding. It spread around the Order that Voldemort had marked them for death, but the Longbottoms knew it was because of Harry. To keep the baby safe no one but the Secret-Keeper knew where they were now. Either James or Lily showed up to various Order meetings, but never both of them, as someone always needed to be home with Harry.

Whenever Alice thought about it she got a sick, twisted feeling of relief. It wasn't _her_ baby they were after. But she hated herself every time she thought of it. Harry Potter deserved a life, to be a child, not to have some madman hunting him down his whole life. And she loved Lily and James like family.

Neville slept between Frank and Alice every night. They couldn't bare to be away from him during the little time they had all together.

* * *

Late one night, the time ended. Several operatives, including Frank, were on a mission and someone had to wait to make sure everyone came home alright. Alice and Lily sat at the piano in the drawing room, and Alice taught her friends little drinking songs her parents had showed her as a child. "This is a classist thing the old Pureblood families picked up, did you know?" Lily muttered.

Alice shook her head. "No."

Lily explained. "It was a symbol of domestic power and class for a woman to know how to play the piano before modern day in the Muggle world. Purebloods picked it up because men couldn't bare to allow their women to learn advanced forms of magic. So, they have pianos."

"That's neat," she said with a little smile, "Did you learn that in Muggle Studies?"

"I did. I also learned why Purebloods have an affinity for stuff," Lily continued, and both the girls looked around at the shelves and cabinets filled with _things_ around the room.

"Why then?"

"Same thing, really. A sign of class, power," Lily said. She gently nudged her shoulder against Alice's. "Are you still going to make fun of me for taking Muggle Studies?"

Alice laughed lightly. "It didn't make sense, you're a Muggleborn!"

They both laughed, but their pocket of happiness was interrupted when the front door slammed open. Alice bolted up first and Lily was right behind her. They piled into the entryway, where two men had fallen over each other to get into the door.

Four had gone on the mission.

"What happened?" Lily demanded. Alice couldn't find her voice.

Remus shoved Sirius off of him and looked up. "Ambush," he said, his voice strained as if he had been shouting, "Could have been twenty of them, we were grossly outnumbered and–"

"The Prewetts didn't make it," Sirius added and gulped, "It was brutal. But–"

"They fought like heroes," Remus interjected.

"–it took five Death Eaters to even think about taking them out. It was an amazing fight but they were slaughtered."

Then the boys exchanged a look, then at the same time looked at Alice. Everything in her body had gone cold. She could feel Lily's hands on her shoulders.

"Alice–"

"Where's Frank?" she demanded.

The boys helped each other stand up. "Alice, he–"

"Where is he?!" she shrieked, and Lily pulled her in, already murmuring words of comfort.

"Not dead!" Sirius said quickly, "They took him. Knocked him out and Apparated away."

Subsequently the remaining Order was summoned to Grimmauld Place. That number was dismal. James had still stayed with Harry, but Dumbledore had come.

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" said the headmaster calmly. So calmly it infuriated Alice as she listened. "They didn't kill him because they know he has information."

"They'll try to torture it out of him," said Emmeline Vance from the corner.

"What are we going to do?" Peter directed his question at Dumbledore.

"We get him back!" Alice cried, slamming her hands on the table. In the meantime between Remus and Sirius returning and the rest of the Order arriving, she had sobbed and sobbed to Lily and had since spent all her tears. There was no time for being afraid. "We go the bloody Death Eaters and take him."

"We don't know any more about their location than they know about ours," Sirius added quietly.

"Do the Aurors know anything?" Diggle asked.

"The Auror Office is useless," grumbled Moody.

"What if we draw them out?" Lily suggested, rising and standing beside Alice, "Set up a fake guard and talk too loudly about our location. They obviously want to wipe us out… might as well see if we can take one of theirs to trade for Frank."

Alice gulped and looked at Dumbledore. The plans always hinged on him. "Very well," he said and Alice felt that familiar spark of hope in her chest, "Remus and Alice will take point there. Ah–" he put up a hand. Lily had begun to object, as it was her idea. "It's too dangerous for you to 'talk too loudly' as you say, considering your position."

Lily visibly ground her teeth. "I'm going to be there. He's my friend too."

"That's your prerogative."

Alice went back that night, very late, to Augusta Longbottom's. Lily came too, assuming quite correctly that Alice would not be in the right mind to try to explain to Frank's mother what had happened to him. Lily and Augusta were downstairs while Alice ran up to find Neville. The baby was fast asleep in a little cot. Alice did her best not to disturb him when she picked him up and held him close to her.

She didn't say anything, but as soon as she had her son in her arms she started to cry again. Her little boy deserved his father. And she would get him back.

* * *

James Potter, Alice Longbottom, and Emmeline Vance stood guard in a Muggle suburb in the dark. Well, it looked like they were standing guard. They were waiting for the attack. Three of the Order's most talented duelers could easily take on a rank of Death Eaters. It was only a matter of when they showed up.

Alice was itching. She was coursing with adrenaline already and ready to spring at the first masked figure who themselves in her way. James had rope hidden in his robes. It was the women's job to stun and his job to bind, and then apparate them all away. It was risky and drawn out, only the first step to getting Frank, but it was all they had. Alice would do anything to get him back okay. He didn't even have to be okay… just alive. That would be enough.

"Alice?" She looked away from the starry sky and over at James. "Do you remember much of sixth year dueling club?"

He was trying to distract her from being antsy. She knew it. But she would play along. "Yes."

"We were both in the running for House champ, if I remember correctly," he continued.

"You beat me."

"I cheated," he told her and she gasped, if only in a playful way. He chuckled and continued. "Lily helped me. She gave me a list of spells to memorize… I wrote it in invisible ink on my arm."

Alice shook her head, a smile curving on her mouth. "That's why you wouldn't wear your robes properly."

"I knew I wouldn't stand a chance!" James said with such sincerity that Alice gave him her first real smile since Frank was taken. "You should have won. I bet bloody Snape wouldn't have beaten you."

She shrugged and Emmeline laughed softly beside her. "Maybe he needed that victory. He might have turned up face down in the lake without it," she said.

"Would have killed Lily, but–"

Then they all came at once. Not the usual squad of three to five, but an entire _circle_ of Death Eaters. Nearly from the start Alice knew this wasn't going to go according to plan. It was nowhere near foolproof, to begin with. At all. But they were only three, and combined, they still could not take eight Death Eaters.

James got the brunt of it, being wanted by Voldemort. His entire corner was almost completely lit up by the green light of killing curse. Emmeline and Alice did their best too, running to place distance between those assaulting James and those after the girls, but it didn't work. That in and of itself threw a grindylow spine in their plan. James was the one with the rope and there was no way he could spare a moment.

A flash of black cut right into Alice's path and she collided with whoever it was. A man, she assumed, considering his considerable amount of height over her and the strength he used to lift her right off her feet. She struggled and jammed the tip of her wand into the closest fleshy area on her attacker's body, which happened to be under his ribs. He grunted in pain and Alice could wriggle free but then she felt a fist connect with her face. It was so hard she saw stars and tasted blood.

Emmeline screamed somewhere in the vicinity. Farther away, James called out and told Alice to _run_. There were too many of them, Auror training told her not to Apparate because an enemy could side-along and find her location, they'll get Frank another way, they were _betrayed._ But she couldn't do anything. She couldn't even tell which way was up.

Alice was hauled to her feet. She couldn't get her bearings fast enough and didn't keep her consciousness when she was Apparated away.

* * *

When Alice opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was the smell of mildew. Then she noticed that she was laying on concrete and her hands were bound behind her back. She was wandless. Her mouth was full of the metallic taste of blood. It was dark. She tried to sit up.

Her movement attracted the attention of the Death Eater guarding the door. She was in… a cellar. A dungeon.

"Dolohov," the guard said, "She's moving."

"Get her up here, the Dark Lord wants to see her," said the equally gruff voice in response.

Alice had gotten herself into a sitting position now. She was lying right before the door. She tried to scoot away but she had no strength and no purchase on the damp concrete, so the two men were able to just grab her and haul her to her feet. When they did, she could see there were more… bodies. More people in the cellar with her.

On one side, she could see a familiar shape. Red shirt, hair and neck a bloody mess, but still breathing. Her husband. Unbound.

"Frank," she said and then started to yell louder, "Frank! Frank, wake up! Wake–"

She was hit in the face. New blood flowed from her nose and into her mouth. She spit it on the floor as they dragged her, kicking and snarling, up the stairs from the cellar. They were in what once was a glorious manor for a very rich family, if the size said anything about it. But it was falling apart and decrepit, and the mildew smell didn't fade as they went to an upper floor.

With every step, Alice's hope to get out of this diminished. She was to suffer undoubtedly the same fate as so many of her friends at the hands of the Death Eaters. Maybe even Lord Voldemort himself would want to use his own wand on her. She did defy him three times.

Inside the largest room was the largest congregation of Death Eaters she's ever seen. They were all unmasked now and dressed as if they were attending some sort of dinner function. The Lestrange brothers, Lucius Malfoy, Corban Yaxely, were all at school at some point during Alice's time at Hogwarts and they all lined the center of the room down which she was moved. The Carrow twins, whom Alice knew, and Bellatrix Lestrange stood at the foot of the dais at the end of the room. On that dais was a simple sort of high-backed chair, like one would find in Dumbledore's office, but this one had Voldemort in it. When Alice looked up at him, he shifted from a rather casual, leaning position to one of interest, an elbow on one of his kness.

"Welcome, Alice," he said, and his voice sent shivers down her spine. He had never spoken to her directly from his mouth before, discounting spells. "I told you one day you would join us."

Alice didn't say anything, just stared at him with her most defiant look. She knew she had no hope of escape. Those in the cellar were incapacitated and she was vastly, vastly outnumbered. She thought only of her husband, and her son, who would be safe and happy with his grandmother. He would know one day that his parents did not give in without a fight.

 _Where dwell the brave at heart._

"If you accept your position, you will be granted mercy," Voldemort went on, and Bellatrix Lestrange's face twisted bitterly at the word 'mercy'. He continued. "Sadly, your husband once more refused. But it is not too late for you, Alice. I know you're smarter than that."

Again, she remained silent, her expression hard and impassive. This seemed to enrage Bellatrix.

"The Dark Lord spoke to you, blood traitor!" she shouted, advancing on Alice on her guards.

Alice gathered as much blood and saliva as she had in her mouth and she spit right at Bellatrix's feet. "Rot in hell," she hissed.

Bellatrix looked absolutely mad and she drew her wand. "Kneel before your master!" she shrieked and aimed for Alice, _"Imperio!"_ Voldemort cackled.

Against her will, Alice's knees started to bend. _Kneel before the Dark Lord,_ the cruel voice in her head said, _kneel for your master._ It was like an icy grip around her brain telling her to do kneel and kneel _now._ She nearly did it, too. And then she remembered. The Longbottoms did not go down without a fight.

Her legs started to straighten. "I bow to no one _._ " she snarled through her teeth, voice pinched in strain.

Bellatrix screeched. Voldemort simply said, "Enough." The curse lifted and Alice could breathe again. The Death Eaters holding her bound arms kept her from collapsing in exhaustion. "She's made her choice. Bellatrix," he turned to the brutal woman, who bent at the waist in obedience at being addressed, "You and your husband had so much fun with the other Longbottom… see if you can't still find out where their friends are hiding."

If Alice had ever been able to look back on or even _remember_ this day, she would never say she was afraid, even as Bellatrix started to laugh coldly and approach her, wand up. Alice took a shaky breath and closed her eyes.

 _I tried to save you, Frank. I'm sorry._

 _I love you, Neville. Be brave for us._


End file.
